If I Had an Oscar Ballot... 'The Apprentice' Would Be Crowned the Best Picture of 2024

Happy Monday, everyone!

Over the weekend, I lost a dear friend of mine — a dog, mind you, but a true friend all the same. I’ve spent at least a decade dog-sitting the great Gatsby, who kept me company over the Christmas break countless times, and I’ll never forget how he helped me feel less alone during the holidays. He was a good boy, and I’m really going to miss him… may he rest in peace in doggie heaven.

Speaking of dogs, one of my five fantasy teams — The Fuck Dogs — brought home a championship this year. Thanks to everyone who participated in my InSneider Plus league, and to Snack Shack filmmaker Adam Rehmeier for inspiring my team name. You can check out his 1991-set comedy starring Gabriel LaBelle on Prime Video.

This weekend, I binged Season 2 of Squid Game — which had its moments, but was largely a frustrating disappointment overall — and I also hung around the Netflix ecosphere to watch Torching 2024, the streamer’s very funny roast of the year, hosted by cancer survivor Jeffrey Ross.

Roasting the year’s top stories is a clever idea from Netflix’s comedy honcho Robbie Praw, and I’ll be curious to see what the numbers are on that special, especially given the free publicity it received due to some of its more tasteless bits, such as Tim Dillon’s decision to perform as slain United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Still, Sam Morril and Mark Normand’s tag-team routine was the clear highlight, for me, and I appreciated the loose vibe of the special, which, unlike the endless Roast of Tom Brady, Netflix wisely kept under 45 minutes.

And just think, two years from now, Netflix will release Greta Gerwig’s epic new Narnia movie in IMAX theaters, though the streamer wants to make two things clear — other directors shouldn’t expect to receive the same treatment, and if you’re a subscriber, feel free to do laundry or scroll on Instagram when the film finally does hit Netflix, whose execs want to make content you can enjoy while you do other things.

In tonight’s newsletter, you’ll get a look at my Oscar ballot — you know, if I had one. I happened to like a lot of this year’s contenders, so I did my best to spread the love, even if there were two clear-cut winners overall — The Apprentice and The Brutalist.

There are also items about Jason Momoa’s return to DC as Lobo, a possible Air Force One sequel starring Harrison Ford, another delay for The Batman Part II, a new home for Kevin Costner’s Horizon saga, and Adam Wingard’s favorite movie of the year. Plus, a fiery new episode of The Hot Mic, where I get extra spicy about a few superhero-themed topics.

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